♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> i'm carl nast been washington and this is bbc world news america. tough sanctions and talk of fighter jets. g7 leaders in japan take steps to support ukraine and its war with russia. syria's president returns. bashar al-assad spoke of an opportunity to remake the middle east. in order to el salvador but at what cost? -- plus bringing order to el salvador but at what cost?

welcome to world news america on pbs and around the globe. we start with a focus on two summits of miles apart involving some of the world's most powerful leade. we begin with the arab league summit in saudi arabia, where syria's president appeared for the first time in more than a decade in the first time since his country sank into a bitter civil war. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy also addressed that body. he spo of very different war, the one his country is currently fighting against russia. he serves as a bridge to the other summit, the gathering of g7 leaders in japan. he is due to address that summit this weekend. already summit leaders taking steps to support ukraine's war effort.

nick marsh has been covering everything that's been taking place in hiroshima. some big news coming from this summit regarding russia. some tough new sanctions. talk of fighter jets. walk us through the details. >> the most recent development is that confirmation that the united states will allow ukrainian pilots to be trained in f-16 fighter jets. there has been some hesitation from washington up until now even how sensitive that advanced technology is. if one is shot down and russian territory obviously it's bad news. president biden confirmed it to g7 leaders yesterday in hiroshima. now it's down to european countries to provide that training and the physical jets. before that we were also hearing about a fresh wave of new

sanctions. so basically even further restricting russia's ability to access materials that it can use on the battlefield. there is also a lot of talk about clamping down on sanctions evasions. making sure that russia doesn't use third party countries and loopholes to get around them. that is a lot more tricky. there was a lot of talk about trying to do that. it was a day heavy on ukraine yesterday. also heavy in symbolism given where we are in hiroshima. the site of the first ever atomic bomb attack. >> the shell of this blast hit dome stands as a solemn reminder. a devastating ttimony of the destructive power of nuclear weapons. a world without them will take more than an offering or a prayer. but the ghosts of this city have a voice and they come with a

warning. the leaders of the world's unch for the hundreds of thousands of victims of the hiroshima bombing. before their thoughts turned to the nuclear threat from russia and the war in ukraine, survivors of the bomb have a message. >> listen to your heart voice. what are you thinking of? feel that underneath, many tuctims still not d.fo generations will suffer. if you don't work now, they will suffer. summits are always heavy on symbolism. talks here are unlikely to lead to a pledge to disarm, but they do aim to starve russia's war machine.

>> we believe in democracy, freedom, the rule of law. we are better able to stand up for those things if we do it together. >> the prime minister of japan has leveraged this city's tragic history. the further sanctions on russia be enough? while the west may have shunned purchases of crude oil from russia in the last year, the likes of india and china have not. that means money is still flowing into moscow. respect for the past is framing a discussion about ending europe's current war. g7 leaders will hear from the ukrainian president over the weekend in the hope that they can reduce the risk of another hiroshima. >> looking ahead to the next few days of this g7 summit, i understand another leader will be joining virtually or

otherwise, zielinski. what can we expect? >> we had confirmation that president zelenskyy will be attending this g7 summit. he will be speaking to leaders here. the rumor mill was in full swing yesterday. we didn't know if it was going to be virtual attendance or in person. obviously there are huge security repercussions when it comes to these sorts of high-profile appearances. can understand why officials were being quite tightlipped. when that moment comes, it will be hugely significant. we know that president zelenskyy has met all these leaders individually. he has been in european capitals just recently. to have them all in one room will be quite a moment. he will be traveling from saudi arabia where he has been addressing arab leaders. i think this will be a much more receptive setting for him here

in hiroshima. >> nick marsh, thank you for your reporting. earlier i spoke to evelyn farkas , executive director of the mccain institute who served as secretary of defense for russia, ukraine and eurasia. i just want to start with this announcement from the u.s. today that it will support training ukrainians to fly f-16 fighter jets. how significant is this new development? >> it's hugely significant. th is something that president zelenskyy has been calling for. many experts such as myself have been calling for this. why is it important, because it will allow ukraine to bring the offensive to the russians, provide some combat support to the troops on the ground.

also the range. these planes can get far behind enemy lines and take out artillery threatening ukrainian troops and civilians. >> is this something that could potentially tip the balance? >> i don't think this one capability will tip the balance necessarily, but the combination of everything we are now giving the ukrainians, very capable air defense as we just saw this past week with the patriots taking down hypersonic missiles. very capable artillery in addition to that, just the regular ammunition, the tanks, the antipersonnel hardened vehicles. the training and the intelligence. all these things together me for a very competent force. it is still a much smaller force than the russian military and they have a very long line that they have to defend once they take the offensive.

>> the g7 has been taking place. we heard some new sanctions coming out of those meetings against russia. many aimed at curbing military technology to the couny. economic sanctions have seemingly had a limited impact on russia. what about these new sanctions? >> these sanctions are so important. as time goes on, we learn about the loopholes or the things we should have sanctioned earlier or we get more comfortable businesses getting accustomed to the existing sanctions. the russians provide commodities, diamonds, copper, other minerals to the world and for that ticket for an income. we want to deny them the revenue they are using to fuel this despicable war machine. >> zelenskyy making a surprise visit to the arab league summit in saudi arabia. he accused some countries of turning a blind eye to the war

with russia. what do you think the impact of his message and his visit will be in saudi arabia? >> sadly, i don't think it will have enough of an impact. you have to show up to even be in the game if you will. so he has a shot i suppose that may be raising awareness among some of the saudi people. if they are providing coverage, that may be an opportunity to have a conversation. unfortunately this is happening at the same time that bashar al-assad who was also aided by the russians and the brutal chemical attacks on his people and the bombing of innocent civilians, something russia practiced in syria before they did it to ukraine, he is now being welcomed back by the saudi government and other governments in the middle east. he's being allowed back in and treated like a regular head of

state, which is not appropriate given the human rights violations he's been responsible for. >> thank you for your time. we heard about those sanctions on russia earlier. now moscow is filing -- firing back. officials have added americans to its sanctioned list. they are barred from visiting the country. the list includes some interesting names. barack obama, sarah huckabee sanders and former u.s. secretary of defense james mattis. even late-night comedian stephen colbert who often makes political jokes about the war in ukraine. there are more than 1300 americans that have been personally sanctioned by russia. this scene behind me is impossible to forget, the devastation behind syria that left hundreds of thousands of people dead. the government stands accused of

terrible atrocities. after nine years o international isolation, he got a very warm welcome at a summit of middle eastern leaders. he has held onto power despite western opposition with massive military support as well from russia's president putin. >> in this camp and lebanon, there is heart that the man syrian refugees blame for destroying the country is being rehabilitated. it makes precarious lives even less secure. around 1600 syrians have been forcibly repatriated from lebanon in recent weeks. they fear they could be next. the couple met in the camp after they fled syria in 2013.

they want better chances for their 18-month-old daughter than they have had. her education stopped when the war began, when she was 10. now they believe president assad's return to the arab league might be an excuse for more deportations. >> we are always afraid of the raids now, that it will happen to us. i imagine they will come and take all the men and deport them. >> after all the killing and destruction in the misery in syria, it's not acceptable. after everything he has done they are hosting him. i don't understand it. >> front syrian refugees, the outlook is as desperate as ever and the prospect of going home frankly is terrifying.

on the other side of the break mountains, about an hours drive from here is damascus. and the view from the presidential palace is looking brighter than it has for years because president bashar al-assad who broke his country to save his regime has been invited back into thed fyol bbashar al-assad strode into te arab league summit in jeddah, relishing the clearest recognition yet that he has won his war for syria. greeted by the prince. a decade ago the saudi's funded anti-assad militias. now he wants to remake the middle east and he needs syria on his side. ukraine's president zelenskyy was there, accusing some arab leaders of turning a blind eye to the horrors of russia's invasion of ukraine.

listening was president assad, russia's closest ally in the middle east. russian firepower left syrian cities in ruins. the kremlin's decisive intervention in syria in 2015 must have fed vladimir putin's ambition as he planned to invade ukraine. here in beirut, syrian refugees face increasing hostility. planned for lebanon's own economic collapse. this refugee family scared they will be deported if they are identified live in an area where a curfew has been imposed on syrians. the children have been flown out of school -- thrown out of school. the turmoil in their lives is all over the teenage daughters artwork. the father views the authoritarian leaders embrace of bashar al-assad with contempt and fear.

>> the assadegime is a dictatorship. they are helping each other, cooperating against the people. >> there is no sign of justice for the victims of the war to save his regime. aside used to speak only to friends he was in moscow in march. his rehabilitation carries a lesson for ruthless authoritarian leaders. wait out the storm and you can outlast your enemies. >> here in the u.s., congressional republicans have declared a pause in their talks with the white house over the debt limit. the lead republican left talks friday saying the biden administration was making unreasonable requests. the sides are at odds over raising the debt ceiling from its current 31 point $4 trillion level. without a deal, the u.s. risks being unable to pay its bills and borrow any more money and

that could trigger a default, sending shockwaves through the global economy. if you are watching the program yesterday, he would have seen a report from el salvador about the government's brutal crackdown on street gangs. in the second part of this report, will grant looks at how normal life is returning to many ighborhoods that spent years under gang control. in the wake of such extreme gang violence, the sweeping government crackdown. how do communities even go about beginning to rebuild? >> as we speak, the government is really doubling down on this state of exception. obviously the debate is still raging in el salvador with ngo's saying that it's unconstitutional and illegal. meanwhile the vice president is visiting countries as far afield as uruguay to extol its virtues.

the government is asking parliament to give it an extension for a 14th time. something that's likely to be rubberstamd. in the neighborhoods themselves, we saw some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country have really changed beyond recognition. >> the neighborhood is dotted with abandoned houses. when the gang ran the neighborhood, scores of homes fell empty. the owners forced out. some became places used for rape, murder and torture. now with most gang members jailed in a crackdown, the government is returning the homes to local people. school teacher received curse a credit scheme, a neighborhood shedding its violent past. >> my children couldn't play in the streets or the parks or have their friends come over. for their security, we wouldn't allow it. they grew up cooped up inside their whole childhoods.

>> undoubtedly the president's security policy is changing the face of el salvador. gang graffiti has been painted over, sometimes whitewashed, sometimes with colorful murals. supporters say the changes are mo than just cosmetic. a morning game of football between teenagers from next-door neighborhoods. this game is verging on the unique. the players come from places that were run by rival gangs and they couldn't even move from one side to the other. much less hold a game of football. with certain constitutional rights suspended, thousands have been detained without due legal process. the government insists known gang members will be released soon. >> we don't want to arrest anyone who offered the gangs support but did so because they were forced to and had no choice. we are not capturing innocent people.

>> labor union leader dolores is skeptical. arrested following an anonymous tip off, she spent seven months away from her children in hellish prison conditions. she describes her treatment as torture. >> it was a kidnapping by the state. if you have done something wrong, then you have to pay. but if you haven't, then it's deprivation of liberty and that's kidnapping. i committed no crime. i shouldn't have been imprisoned. >> local kids can play without fear of being caught in the crossfire of a turf war. some fear the president has permanently militarized el salvador to achieve it. >> let's bring back will grant. you get the sense in your report that there is unsteady peace in the country. is there the possibility or the

feeling that this gang violence could come back? >> it's aery valid question. it's one that a lot of people in el salvador are asking themselves. the gangs originally sprang from a lot of deportation of gang members from the united states back to el salvador. they flourished because there were so many young people living in poverty, marginalized, in need of a sort of identity who latched onto the gangs and that's why they boomed in numbers. some of those issues, the marginalization, poverty, lack of opportunities for people haven't changed with this crackdown in el salvador. there is a distinct possibility. but the crackdown is so brutal and ruthless, that one suspects the gangs as we know them aren't going to reappear for the time being. >> will grant, thank you for all of your reporting.

some other stories making headlines, family and friends gathered early this morning for jordan neely's funeral in harlem. he was a homeless michael jackson impersonated who was murdered by a subway rider who placed him in a choke hold. rev. al sharpton delivered the eulogy and said someone should have asked if he needed help. a group of tiktok creators are suing the u.s. state of montana to block a ban of the popular social media apps. they say the bill violates their first amendment rights in the state does not have the authority to keep residents from accessing and creating lawful speech. a representative says the state is preparing to defend the law. senator tim scott from south carolina has filed official papers to enter the race for the u.s. presidency. he has accuse the democrats of exploiting racial tensions for partisan gain. his national recognition is not as big as the main republican

hopeful donald trump or florida governor ron desantis, who is expected to announce his own presidential bid very soon. the space race is now a billionaires game and one more deep-pocketed player is aiming for the moon. amazon's jeff bezos won a 3 billion-dollar nasa contract to build a landing craft that will take a crew down to the union -- to the lunar surface. here's the nasa administrator making that announcement earlier. >> these are public-private partnerships. it's the new way that we go to the moon. it helps nasa share the risk, the technical risk and the financial risk. the cost. to enable at the end of the day

mission success. >> the investments are part of nasa's artemis program which aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. the american football legend jim brown has died at the age of 87. he was widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the national football league. he led the cleveland browns to three nfl titles in 1964 and was chosen as the most valuable player three times. he retired at the age of 30 to become an actor. he was also a prominent civil rights activist. his former team tweeted a tribute to him. before we go, the world's most famous clock is having a few technical difficulties. big ben froze this week for about 30 minutes. the people of london were not treated to its traditional bong.

this is the second time it has happened in just two weeks. it is coming off a five year refurbishment that cost $100 million. a spokesperson said they had quickly rectified the issue. thank you for watching world news america. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪ narrator: you're watching pbs.

introducing a technological achievement so advanced... it rivals the moon landing. wow! ok. rude. that's one small step for man.

e giant leap for mankind. >> on "the newshour" tonight, congressional leaders it pause on negotiations to raise the debt limit with time quickly running out to make a deal. >> president biden says the u.s. will help training -- train ukrainians on f-16 fighter jet that allies land to provide in the fight against russia. >> and syria is welcomed back to an alliance of arab nations after years of brutal civil war orchestrated by the assad regime. >> the message is you have followed your steps, sanctions, isolation of the regime. well, it has not worked.